Maverick
Maverick, known as Irregular (イレギュラー Iregyurā) in Japan, is a generic term for Reploids and Mechaniloids that are a threat to humans and other Reploids for varying causes, which include software bugs, viruses, reprogramming, or even by their own free will upon deciding that humans are inferior and too weak to live (or some variation of this thought). The term was created to differentiate the innocent from criminals who engage in destructive behaviors such as robbery, murder, and destruction. The degree of severity varies, but these actions are all defined as "crimes" under the law. The standards are set by human ethics, but because Reploids are stronger than their human counterparts, the punishments doled out to those who commit crimes and become Maverick are far greater than would be warranted normally. They are usually countered by application of firepower to a certain degree in order to neutralize them. The Maverick Hunters were formed to enact this, as humans would not be able to counter Maverick outbreaks. Mavericks are the main antagonists of the Mega Man X series and the majority of the enemies and bosses from the series are considered Mavericks, and they also appear in the Mega Man Zero and Mega Man ZX series. Maverick causes here is no single cause for a Reploid to act as a Maverick, but generally a Maverick will fall into one of several categories. Flawed/Error Mavericks Early cases of Reploids and Mechaniloids becoming Mavericks were due to their thought routines and programming suffering from a fatal bug. When Mavericks first appeared in society, they could be dealt with through use of emergency shutdown devices. Frequent outbreaks and the Mavericks hacking the devices themselves, however, brought on a gradual increase to the Maverick threat. Despite having a complicated system, Reploids and Mechaniloids may also become Mavericks via hacking and reprogramming. For Reploids, it makes sense that there might have been some errors to cause them to go insane - errors which can be likened to humans with mental deficits or biological/emotional imbalance reacting to negative stress violently. After all, Dr. Cain was unable to fully understand Dr. Light's designs and his masterpiece, X, and the Reploids haven't passed by a long test period to confirm the safety of their cognition programs like X. Prior to X, robots were made to provide humans with ease of living and subordinated to tasks deemed too dangerous or monotonous for humans to perform. By providing sentience, the ability to not just to think and learn, but most importantly to "decide right and wrong for themselves", these first Maverick incidents may simply be the Reploid equivalent of extreme dissident violence. Being as they have become, essentially, a new social demographic born into autonomy to replace robots, with no previous ideology, ethical, or moral code indoctrinated into them, other than specialized programming and bodies necessary for their tasks, early Reploids may have been somewhat more susceptible to negative influences than humans. It is implied by Dr. Light that he intended Reploids to exist and develop their own society alongside mankind, peacefully. However, since X's discovery and the proliferation of the Reploids by Dr. Cain, these incidents intensified artificially after the discovery of Zero and the spread of the virus from Zero's capsule. When possible, Mavericks caused by technical flaws and errors in their thought circuits are usually not destroyed, but rendered harmless for future repairs so they can be reintigrated into society, being apprehended like Vile. Zero himself in the beginning was a flawed Maverick, being unwilling to obey orders as well as relishing in causing destruction due to a flaw in his cognitive program, which was primarily the reason why Dr. Wily sealed him away. According to Lumine at the end of Mega Man X8, all the New Generation reploids who helped Sigma are either flawed Mavericks or free-will Mavericks as viruses cannot manipulate them. In special, Optic Sunflower, Burn Rooster and Gigabolt Man-O-War seemed to be examples of flawed Mavericks. Viral Mavericks The major cause of Mavericks is a sentient energy lifeform created in form of a computer virus called theMaverick Virus and later retroactively the Sigma Virus. The virus usually causes the infected Reploid's programming to malfunction, which causes the victim to become very violent and irrational (in other words, irregular), though this is not always the case (such as Sigma, who merged with the virus instead). Viral Mavericks lose their inhibitions and their empathy, as they will follow their own desires without any regret, even if they hurt humans and Reploids alike in the process. Viral Mavericks infected by Sigma generally succumb to the belief that the human race is limiting the potential of Reploids and may become loyal to Sigma. Those Mavericks often deliberately try to injure or kill humans. They will also not falter to attack other Reploids that are trying to defend humans. Reploids who are infected by the virus usually cannot be restored, because their data is corrupted. They had to be disposed of until the cure of the virus was found. It came finally with the creation of the Mother Elf. Mavericks in this category include the infamous former head of the Maverick Hunters, Sigma, and Reploid scientists Dr. Doppler and Gate. Origins For a time, it was believed that the Maverick Hunter Zero was the sole originator of the virus, and that Dr. Wily had a hand in its creation. However, this is not quite true, as the [https://megaman.fandom.com/wiki/Rockman_Zero_Collection_Timeline Rockman Zero Collection timeline]reveals that Zero had a cognitive flaw in his electronical brain and was sealed by Dr. Wily in a capsule, because he was violent and unwilling to obey instructions. The capsule in which Zero was held had been spreading the original virus, which was not only meant to cause Reploids and Mechaniloids to go berserk, but also to remove the cognitive flaw in Zero's brain. Before the Rockman Zero Collection timeline was revealed, the Mega Man Zero Official Complete Works ''spoke of three keys to solving the mystery of Zero and Omega. One of them explained vaguely what the true essence of the Sigma Virus was. It was said that the virus actually originated from one of the circuits that Dr. Light installed in X's brain. This "Suffering Circuit" gave X and subsequently all the other Reploids the ability to worry and to decide right and wrong for themselves. Dr. Cain copied the Suffering Circuit, but due to some early design flaws in the first mass-produced circuits, it caused some Reploids and Mechaniloids to turn violent and become the first Mavericks. It is not unlikely that Dr. Wily stole the data for the Suffering Circuit from Dr. Light and programmed the new virus with it in order to fix Zero and to make it more effective in causing irregularity in other robots. In ''Mega Man X4, a flashback reveals the event where a berserk Zero had slaughtered several Reploidsand fought Sigma, the leader of the Maverick Hunters, in an abandoned warehouse in rocky mountains. As Sigma and Zero fought, Sigma unknowingly became infected by the virus which was spread from Zero's capsule. Sigma, despite being victorious over Zero, had his pride wounded in this event. Months later, it would change his worldview completely, which the virus further twisted by removing all his empathy. He started to become disgusted with humans and to view humanity as something that holds back the potential of Reploids. It was at this time that Sigma formed his personal philosophy of evolution. The first sentence of this philosophy was, "Evolution requires sacrifice." Zero's connection to the virus is further elaborated in Mega Man X5, where Sigma claims that the Sigma Virus purifies Zero’s body and alludes to a "father" of Zero who advised Sigma to spread the virus with the hopes of "awakening Zero to his true self," as he had stated. In Mega Man X8, when Zero meets with Sigma in the final stage, Sigma speaks of Zero's virus having infected him as being the catalyst for the world's destruction, thus verifying that it was indeed through Zero that Sigma was infected (this knowledge was only an assumption in previous games). In the same game, it is revealed by Lumine that New Generation Reploids, who have embraced Sigma's philosophy, can decide to go against the laws of human society and the government. He mocked the term Maverick by saying, "We can go Maverick at will." Variations There seems to be no single "Maverick Virus", but rather many similar viruses which produce the same basic effect. Maverick Virus The original virus is an unknown computer virus that had prevailed over 100 years ago emerging from Zero's capsule. A subspecies of the terrible computer virus from long ago, this form causes the majority of Reploids to go Maverick, especially during early Mega Man X games. Its effect causes Reploids and Mechaniloids to go berserk and attack Reploids and humans indiscriminately. It later retroactively named the Sigma Virus, because of Sigma becoming the most infamous symbol for Mavericks and also merging with the virus.[3] The Sigma Virus was first discovered by a Reploid scientist, Dr. Doppler, who also created the first antivirus programs. Sigma Virus The Sigma Virus is a modified form of Sigma's own DNA Soul and Dr. Wily's virus, created by the fusion between them. It is capable of infecting large numbers of Reploids and Mechaniloids alike, making them irrational and aggressive. Sigma has this virus spread across the Earth in Mega Man X2 by network with the Central Main Computer to cause Maverick outbreaks everywhere, and later in Mega Man X5 to cause chaos and confusion in order to mask his true purpose: the Colony Virus. In the same game, the Sigma Virus is displayed as a floating Sigma head, which, when it touches X or Zero, will infect them. From Mega Man X7 onwards, a new version of the Sigma Virus appeared, labeled as the Sigma Virus Mk.II. It is unknown if it is stronger or weaker comparred to the first version. Colony Virus The Colony Virus was used to cause the failure and subsequent crash of the Space Colony Eurasia, hence its name. Little is actually revealed about this virus, except that when it came into contact with the Sigma Virus, the two merged and became the Zero Virus. Zero Virus This is the virus which Sigma had hoped would "awaken" Zero to his "original purpose". If infected, Zero becomes much stronger and temporarily regains his lost memory, but otherwise retains his personality and memories. This virus form is more powerful than either the Sigma or Colony Viruses, and therefore, yields much more power. It appears after the fusion and will show a purple silhouette of Zero, rather than a head of Sigma. As a side effect, its appearance caused Cyber Space to materialise in the Real World at point 11F5646 as Zero Space. Nightmare Virus This virus appeared in Mega Man X6. Gate, a researcher, found a piece of Zero after he was destroyed. Using this piece, he reconstructed a virus and dubbed it the "Nightmare". This virus is odd because it actually takes physical form - a head possibly made to resemble a decaying Reploid, and a body made of tentacles resembling DNA strands, hinting at its DNA-based structure. This virus latches onto Reploids and infects them. When destroyed, it will drop a nightmare 'soul' which can be collected, but if it is left unchecked, the virus will regenerate. Other malware There are other types of malicious softwares and hardwares in the storyline, but they all seem to share some commonality: they infect Reploids and alter their capabilities significantly, but act more as a brainwashing or mind control tool than a cause of irrational aggression. Examples of these can be seen in Rockman X Mega Mission (Limited), the Rockman X3 manga (Worms), and in the Archie Comics Mega Man comic story The Return of Dr. Wily, where Dr. Wily created a malware to infect Mega Man. A similar (though not directly related) effect exists in Mega Man ZX and Mega Man ZX Advent, in which Master Albert and former researcher Serpent were corrupted and manipulated by Model W (the former, Master Albert, who was the creator of Model W, denies this), thus going Maverick in the same fashion. The majority of Mavericks in Mega Man ZX are in turn controlled by Serpent, and therefore indirectly by Model W as well. The Dark Elf was also used in a similar way in Mega Man Zero 3, forcing several Reploids to obey Dr. Weil. Free-will Mavericks Some Reploids are labeled Mavericks because they have consciously decided, without any infection or flaw in their circuits, to go against the will of the humans. These are usually criminals, mercenaries, or rebels who act against the government. Such free-willed Mavericks usually act more rationally than viral Mavericks. A example of free-will Mavericks would be all of the new generation Reploids which came after Axl's creation. As Lumine reveals in Mega Man X8, they can go Maverick at will, because their copy chip contains Sigma's DNA and thus his way of thinking along with his philosophy of evolution - though technically, all Reploids in existence can potencially become free-willed Mavericks due to their ability to determine right and wrong for themselves, so new-generation Reploids are not the exception. Other examples include Vile, Shadow, and the more extreme example of Colonel Redips, all ex-Maverick Hunters that turned evil to become more powerful - though Vile is questionable, as the reason behind his turn is an unrepairable break in his programming, like it was with the first Mavericks, which were caused without any virus. Another notable example of a free-will Maverick would be Boomer Kuwanger in Mega Man Maverick Hunter X. The game manual states that Kuwanger has no sense of justice or evil, joining Sigma after looking over the facts rationally. Political Mavericks Not all Mavericks try to harm humans or the government. Because the distinction of who is or is not Maverick is decided by the Maverick Hunters, sometimes a group will be unjustly called Maverick for political reasons or misunderstandings, such as in Mega Man X4. Most notably, this happened with the Repliforce, a Reploid army which was crushed by the Hunters. After realizing the mistake, the leader and commissioner of the Maverick Hunters resigned out of shame, appointing Signas in his place. The Red Alert is also another example, though they had been manipulated by Sigma. However, the organization was indeed an illegal vigilante group which enforced unauthorized justice on other criminals, thus technically making them Mavericks in the original sense of the word, although their actions before being controlled by Sigma, were unconventional for the typical use of the term. The Rebellion Army led by Epsilon in Mega Man X: Command Mission is another prime example, as Epsilon only wanted to create a place where Reploids could live free of world politics, but his plan to induce Reploid evolution through Supra-Force Metal, not to mention some of his Cadre's questionable tactics, was interpreted as Maverick activity by the authorities. However, after learning of Epsilon's true motives as well as the betrayal of the Far East HQ Hunter Commander, Colonel Redips (who, having somehow deduced himself as the destined ruler of all Reploids, is a perfect example of a free-will Maverick himself), the authorities chose to defer the "Maverick" status from Epsilon, although the Hunters had already destroyed him by that time. Yet another example would be the Resistance in the Mega Man Zero series; these Reploids do not seek to harm humanity in any way (with the notable exception of Elpizo, another example of a free-will Maverick), not to mention the fact that this organization is actually led by the human pacifist Ciel, but are designated as Mavericks due to their defiance of the Neo Arcadian regime and its constant "retiring" of Reploids falsely accused of becoming Mavericks. Problems caused by Mavericks The greatest threat Mavericks present throughout the series are the existential clashes between Reploid and Man, as seen with Sigma and his forces, and the potentiality for mass genocide (like the Elf Wars) and eradication of the human race. As Reploids are essentially living machines, made for conditions and ability greater than any normal human being can withstand and perform, Mavericks are able to turn this great power and ability from one of good to one of evil with a single thought. Socially, Mavericks present a large problem to the governments in the Mega Man X series. They actively fight against the governments and the Maverick Hunters, causing large amounts of collateral damage during their attacks. Mavericks are usually the most destructive when they group together. This is usually hard for viral Mavericks to accomplish, but numerous times Sigma has been able to use them for his elaborate schemes against the Maverick Hunters. Major Maverick Reploids The major Maverick Reploids fought by the Maverick Hunters in the Mega Man X series. *Sigma *Vile *X-Hunters: **Violen **Serges **Agile *Dr. Doppler *Nightmare Police: **Bit **Byte *General *Colonel *Iris *Double *Dynamo *Gate *High Max *Isoc *Red *Lumine *Shadow Hunters: **Geemel **Zain *Techno *Gareth *Berkana Stage Select bosses Edit All of the Mavericks featured in the Mega Man X series as the eight bosses from the Stage Select Screenare based on either an animal or a plant (or a fungus, in Split Mushroom's case). ''Mega Man X'' Edit Former Maverick Hunters. *Chill Penguin *Spark Mandrill *Armored Armadillo *Launch Octopus *Boomer Kuwanger *Sting Chameleon *Storm Eagle *Flame Mammoth ''Mega Man X2'' Edit More former Maverick Hunters and a few agents built/recruited by Sigma. *Wheel Gator *Bubble Crab *Flame Stag *Morph Moth *Magna Centipede *Crystal Snail *Overdrive Ostrich *Wire Sponge ''Mega Man X3'' Edit Reploids that were turned Maverick by Dr. Doppler and his fake antivirus. *Blast Hornet *Blizzard Buffalo *Toxic Seahorse *Tunnel Rhino *Volt Catfish *Crush Crawfish *Neon Tiger *Gravity Beetle ''Mega Man X4'' Edit Members of Repliforce and some double agents planted by Sigma. *Web Spider *Split Mushroom *Cyber Peacock *Storm Owl *Magma Dragoon *Frost Walrus *Jet Stingray *Slash Beast ''Mega Man X5'' Edit Reploids infected by the worldwide Maverick Virus outbreak spurred by Sigma. *Crescent Grizzly *Tidal Whale *Volt Kraken *Shining Firefly *Dark Necrobat *Spiral Pegasus *Burn Dinorex *Spike Rosered ''Mega Man X6'' Edit Members of the Nightmare Investigators. *Commander Yammark *Ground Scaravich *Blaze Heatnix *Blizzard Wolfang *Rainy Turtloid *Metal Shark Player *Shield Sheldon *Infinity Mijinion ''Mega Man X7'' Edit Members of Red Alert . *Soldier Stonekong *Tornado Tonion *Splash Warfly *Flame Hyenard *Ride Boarski *Snipe Anteator *Wind Crowrang *Vanishing Gungaroo ''Mega Man X8'' New Generation Reploids. *Bamboo Pandamonium *Optic Sunflower *Dark Mantis *Gravity Antonion *Earthrock Trilobyte *Gigabolt Man-O-War *Avalanche Yeti *Burn Rooster